Chapter 45 in AU
by emmacortana
Summary: An AU of which in Chapter 45 in "The Infinite Sea", Sammy dies


Cassie's POV

Grace: a person. Not anything religious or connected to God, but a person armed to the teeth. She had Dumbo's M16 in addition to the hefty sniper rifle hanging from her back, and speaking of Dumbo, she shoved the poor kid into the room and then blew out my eyesight with her megawatt smile.

"And is this the infamous Cassiopeia, queen of the night sky? I have to say, you surprised me Evan. She's nothing like a pictured. Sort of a ginger. Thought that wasn't your type."

I looked at Evan. "Who the hell is she? _What the hell is it_?"

"Grace is lie me," Evan said.

"Oh, yes." Grace purred. "We go back quite a bit. Ten centuries, give or take. Speaking of taking..."

She lunged faster than I thought was possible for my rifle, ripping it out of my hands and tossing it away like a used tissue. She then motioned with her own rifle for me to throw all my weapons out the window. "Sidearm, and that knife strapped to your ankle. Wave 'bye bye'." Evan nodded at me as if to say _Do what she says or this could end badly_. So I did. My head spun, and I couldn't grab hold of a single coherent thought. Grace was a Silencer like Evan-that, I understood. But the questions unanswered like how did she know my name and why was she here and how did Evan know he was coming and what did he mean by _Grace is the doorway_ boiled around my brain until it felt like putty. The doorway to _what_?

"I knew she was human, obviously." Grace was back on Evan's favourite subject. "But I never imagined how _completely and utterly_ human she was."

Evan knew it was coming, that it was inadvertable, but he tried to stop it anyway. "Cassie..."

"Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, you hellish alien motherfucking pile of shit. Bitch."

"Colourful. Imaginative. Nice." Grace griined, then motioned with Dumbo's rifle for me to sit.

Again, Evan shot me a look: _Do it, Cassie._ So I sat on the bed next to his, beside Dumbo, who was breathing like he was having an asthma attack. Grace remained in the doorway so she could keep an eye on the hall. Maybe she didn't know about Sam and Megan in the next room or Ben and Poundcake waiting for Evan in the elevator downstairs. Then, I understood what Evan was doing. Stalling, trying to buy time. When Ben and Poundcake came up to see what the hell was going on, that would be our chance. What Evan, didn't realize, or maybe he did, I don't know, was that it would be Grace's chance to. I remembered Evan taking out an entire squad of 5th Wavers, outgunned and outnumbered, in pitch darkness. I could only imagine how good Grace was.

I studied her, as one studied a rolling fire before it consumed them. The way she leaned against the jamb with one ankle casually over the other, as if killing children were a part of her norm. And maybe it was. I, better than anyone, know that it was a part of Evan's before he had found me, and even after so.

Her golden hair was thrown over one shoulder, flowing like a soft, sunlit river, her head slightly turned to display for our admiration her stunning Nordic profile, and I thought, _Sure, makes sense. If you can download yourself into any sort of human body, why not pick an impeccable one? Evan too._ In that sense, he was nothing but a big phony. And that's weird to think about. Deep down, the guy who gave me the Jell-O knees was an effigy, a mask over a faceless face that probably ten thousand years ago looked like a squid or something.

"Well, they _did_ tell us there was risk, living so long as humans among humans," Grace said. "Tell me something, Cassiopeia: Don't you think he's _absolutely perfect_ in bed?"

"Why don't you tell me," I shot back. "You extraterrestrial slut."

"Feisty," Grace said to Evan with a smile. "Like her namesake."

"They have nothing to do with this," Evan said. "Let them go, Grace."

"Evan, even _I'm_ not sure I understand exactly what _this_ is." She left her post and floated-there's no other word for it-to his bedside. "And nobody is going anywhere until I do." She leaned over and took his face in her hands and kissed him long and lingering on the lips. He fought her-I could see that-but she immobilized him with a gun in her hand. "Did you tell her, Evan?" She murmured in his ear, though she made sure it was loud enough I could hear. "Does she know how all of this ends?"

"I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty certain it ends like this." I said and launched myself at her, leading, as I usually did, with my head, aiming the hard crown part of it at the soft temple part of hers. The impact knocked her sideways, and I ended up sprawled across Evan's lap. _Absolutely perfect_ , I thought, a little incoherently.

I pushed myself up, and Evan wrapped his arms around my waist and yanked me back down. " _No, Cassie._ "

But he was weak and physically drained and I ripped free easily and yelled "Now, Sam! Get Zombie, and then run. Don't look back. I'll find you, I promise." And then I mentally cursed myself, another promise to be kept.

The door opened hesitantly, revealing Sam and Bear as Grace was getting up. "Leave Megan! I'll take care of her. Go!" I jumped on Grace's back as Sam hesitated, for a moment, and then ran as fast as his little legs could take him. Once he was out of the hallway, I relaxed, as Grace grabbed my arm and hurled me across the room. I smashed against the wall beside the window and fell on my face. I heard a sickeningly wet crunch, and felt warm blood run down my face. The little footfalls stopped, and Sam called out my name. "Cassie?"

"I'm fine! Run!" I hollered, heaving myself up. I heard the door to the stairs open and then shut with a gust of air and I slumped with relief. Now that he was out, he'd get Ben and run, until he couldn't run any farther. And there, he'd be safe from the Silencer leaning down in front of me with an angered look in her eyes and a pistol in her hand. My own blood stained my eyes, blinding me, but I thought I saw Evan attempting and failing to stand up and help me. Dumbo was dumbstruck, as Grace clicked the safety off and pointed at me.

"Was that your little brother? Pity, I would've loved to put a bullet through his head and make you watch every second of it. Watch his life drain out with the blood and hear the last short scream ever to be made by your dear little Sammy."

I gritted my teeth. "Leave. My. Brother. Alone."

She tilted her head. "But, oh, well, I guess I'll just settle for you." She had a crazed grin on her face, as I gave her the middle finger salute and said some obscenities that left my audiences stunned. Then, Grace laughed. "Such a shame I have to kill you. I'm beginning to understand why Evan not only spared you, but saved you. You'd make such a fun little pet."

"Grace, stop." Evan said, his face as white as the pillow under him, strained with the effort of getting up. "This is between you and me. Let her go." His voice sounded desperate, melted chocolaty eyes filled with sadness and fear. Not fear of his life, but fear of mine.

"But this is so fun. Think of it as a little present you gave to me, for my entertainment. Now, wave goodbye." She whipped her head back, and leveled the gun. And in that moment, two things happened.

First of all, Evan stood up, grunting from the pain but eyes wide in determination, heading for Grace. Dumbo, too, had snapped out of it and grabbed for the forgotten rifle a few feet away from him. I closed my eyes and braced myself, apologizing to everyone. _Sorry, Sammy, I guess I won't be able to find you anymore. Sorry, Dumbo, Poundcake and Ben, you guys are probably next. Sorry, Evan. You went through all that trouble for me, and I died anyway. So, sorry._

 _So sorry._

And secondly, the door to the hallway opened, and Ben and Poundcake filed in the door. But what really caused me to open my eyes is a little squeak, no louder than a typical ordinary mouse's, and I knew that Sammy had not done what I'd said. Sammy, that stupid, brave little boy had come back.

Grace turned, gun still aimed at me, and without looking at me, said "Look, Cassiopeia. I guess your brother didn't run after all? Saves me the trouble of finding him. She swung the gun around and pointed at him, and in that exact moment, I leaped on top of her, tackling her to the ground. She looked annoyed, as if I was the pesky cockroach that somehow snuck into her food. Without even looking at me twice, she aimed for my leg and fired. Her aim was off by a little bit, and I suppose I should be grateful she didn't shoot my leg because there are so many arteries in there I could've quickly bled out, but instead, I was hit in the pelvis.

Pain exploded throughout my entire body, and I remembered my dad telling me "While getting shot in your pelvis isn't lethal, I think it would be the most painful to be shot there because there are so many nerves bunched up in that region." I think I screamed, but I'm not sure. The only thing I can remember is the pain, like my whole body was on fire.

But none of that came close to the pain I felt when Grace shot Sam.

Point blank in the heart, his face frozen halfway through my name. It was so fast, I don't think he even realized he'd been shot before he died. All he'd had time to process was that I'd been shot and then game over.

And right then, all hell broke loose.

I know firsthand how fast a Silencer can dodge bullets, but they were coming from all angles. Ben shot, Poundcake shot, Dumbo shot, all the while I tried to stand, my throat hoarse from screaming, but I didn't stop. My body corrupted even more so with pain in each attempt that I made to reach Sammy, to reach my little brother, when I felt Evan's soft, soft hands reach for me, and examining my wound. I screamed at him, to forget about me, go to Sam, as Grace nimbly dodged bullets coming from three guns in three different places. But she was growing tired, I could see that. Evan's warm hands and even warmer eyes shocked me back into the pain I felt, and I knew he already checked, that he already felt my little brother's pulse, rather, the lack of one. It still took me a while to understand that, the shock and the pain in the way of the true horror of the words from taking me. But they did. And I screamed even louder, and clawed Evan and desperately tried to crawl my way to the little boy who should've lived, knowing that I was the little girl who should've died, and Evans eyes were pleading, _pleading_ with me to come back, to stay, to hold on just for now, but I couldn't. I couldn't. My little brother, the one I was supposed to protect, the one who had his entire life ripped away from him even as a child, the one who was lied to repeatedly again and again and again, the one who was so full of kindness and of life, was dead. He was dead.

And a wave of darkness and pain rolled over me, and I welcomed it.


End file.
